Michel Dupagne

Professor Michel Dupagne, Ph.D., recognizes the importance of scholarships in helping talented students in the School of Communication achieve their dreams. In 2005, he and his brother Alain established the Lucy Chatelain Endowed Communication Scholarship in memory of their mother. “I believe that providing scholarships to those in financial need is critical to the long-term success of the University of Miami,” he says. “I have been privileged to serve on the faculty for more than two decades, and it is a pleasure to support our future scholars.”

Dupagne is a nationally recognized leader in the small but growing field of media management, which focuses on the business side of the media industry. “We are trying to gain a better understanding of how the media industry is changing and evolving in the digital age,” he says. In keeping with that goal, Dupagne will earn an M.B.A. in management from the School of Business Administration in December.

“The media industry continues to splinter, moving away from its traditional focus on the mass markets toward almost every type of niche market you can imagine,” he says. “Advances in technology, such as streaming video, are also disrupting traditional business models, since consumers can now bypass a cable or satellite TV provider and get video content directly from an online site.”

Dupagne joined the School of Communication in 1994, after earning his doctorate in mass communications with a business minor from Indiana University. Since then, he has studied new communication technologies, international communication, media economics, and other issues. He also has conducted award-winning research on such topics as consumer high-definition television diffusion and educational use of podcasting. He coauthored the book High-Definition Television: A Global Perspective, and serves on the editorial boards of the American Communication Journal, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, Journal of Media Economics, and Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly.

“This is a thrilling time to be in media management,” says Dupagne. “I feel very grateful that our University has supported my teaching and research, allowing me to develop professionally through the years. Now is a great time for me to give something back, and I encourage other faculty members and employees to contribute as well. Together, we can really make a difference.”

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